Monday 21^st October is Apple Day in the UK, to mark the occasion, a number of countryside groups, including the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England have called on shoppers to support local growers and domestic fruit production by checking whether their juice comes from before checking out, potentially switching to fruit grown in Britain.  

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According to the latest Defra figures, the proportion of fruit consumed in the UK that is grown in the country is low and falling. Britain only produces around 10 percent of the fruit consumed here, compared to around 55 percent of vegetables and over 60 percent of overall foods.

In light of the fact that orange juice outnumbers juice from domestic fruits on supermarket shelves and that only around a third (38 percent) of apples in the UK are home-grown, the groups backing Apple Day are urging shoppers to seek out UK-grown fruits.

On Monday, CPRE said growers in Britain need support; the area of land growing apples in England and Wales has flat lined since 2003 and according to Natural England Britain has lost 75 percent of its traditional orchards since 1950.

Graeme Willis, Senior Food and Farming Campaigner at CPRE, said, "You could eat a different UK apple variety each day for six years without trying the same one twice. Despite having the ideal climate we import most of the apples we eat and all of the orange juice we drink. We want people to try one of the many superb English apples first.

"Before plumping for the usual and imported Golden Delicious or a Granny Smith, search out just some of the varieties grown here. The range of flavour is amazing: Discovery, Cox, Russet, Bramley's Seedling, Malling Kents, or something a bit unusual like the Ribston Pippin which has just come in to season."

"Most of all think twice before reaching for the same old carton of imported orange juice or an imported apple. Your taste buds will thank you, as will English apple growers."